tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

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fjp912
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tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by fjp912 »

Let me start a thread in the right place on this. I've mentioned elsewhere about 13 inch tires being damned hard to find. Specifically it is really hard to find 185/80R13's which are what is on the car right now. It looks like the Firestone FR380 is available in that size. Isn't that the lowest grade tire in Firestone's line? I did find that Pep Boys has Futura 2000 tires in 185/70R13. I had that brand of tires on a FWD Cadillac a few years ago and was very happy with them. Will the 185/70's fit my rims? Will they change ride height, speedo accuracy, etc?

More generally, what other sizes can I substitute for the 185/80? Sears' website wants to substitute 155/80R13 and even has Tiger Paws in that size. But that seems too small according to the usual charts that translate the old style tire sizes (6.50x13, per the '64 Corvair owners manual) to metric sizes.

FRANK PERCH
Savannah, GA
'64 Monza coupe
FRANK PERCH
Philadelphia, PA
'64 Monza Coupe
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UNSAFE
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by UNSAFE »

Isn't that the lowest grade tire in Firestone's line?

I'm not familiar with that tire but in general you need to look at the ratings on the sidewall . One of them is the wear rating - generally the lower the number the stickier but quicker to wear the tire is . A higher number usually is a lower performance tire but will get longer life.

The temp rating is maybe the most important on the Vair . It is rated A , B , or C . I would make sure to get an A .

The last rating is traction (braking I think ? )

A 185 70 will change your speedo slightly but do you know if it's accurate now ? Most aren't .

I'd go with the 70s if you can find them but I'd look at the temp rating if you plan any highway use.

I wouldn't go with anything smaller than a 175 .
Kevin Willson
1965 Monza 3.1
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by miniman82 »

I'll sell you my 13's, complete with rims and hubcaps! Tires are brand new, but I forget what they are.
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by 64vert »

hankook has a 185- 80....thats what ive got
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by Scott H »

Scott
1960 Monza Coupe
1965 Evening Orchid Corsa Turbo (project)
1961 Rampside (project)
1964 Spyder coupe (patina car, running)
1964 faux Spyder (project/parts car)
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by Scott H »

Scott
1960 Monza Coupe
1965 Evening Orchid Corsa Turbo (project)
1961 Rampside (project)
1964 Spyder coupe (patina car, running)
1964 faux Spyder (project/parts car)
1964 Monza (parts car)
1963 Monza (parts car)
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fjp912
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by fjp912 »

Miniman -- what will that cost me to ship to GA? Wish I had known before my car was shipped here from Chicago; we coulda just tossed them inside.

Scott -- the 185/80's are listed as trailer tires. Can you use trailer tires on a car? I wonder if they are designed differently because trailer wheels don't steer and are never powered. If the 70's are good that is a possibility; I live about 25 miles from one of Tire Rack's distribution centers and I can go there and pick them up myself.
FRANK PERCH
Philadelphia, PA
'64 Monza Coupe
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by miniman82 »

fjp912 wrote:Miniman -- what will that cost me to ship to GA? Wish I had known before my car was shipped here from Chicago; we coulda just tossed them inside.

Heh, that would have been nice. No idea what shipping them would cost, I'd have to see. Usually, I would tie them together and ship in pairs. You should go on uship.com and see what someone would charge, I use it all the time to move stuff around and it's way cheaper than DLH, UPS or the mail. It's sort of like Ebay for shipping, except without all the retarded people. :rolling:
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by Motornoggin »

I used to ship big things via GreyHound Bus Lines. I had a big R/C boat that FedEx wanted $300 to ship, UPS wouldn't even try and GreyHound shipped it for $50.
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by fjp912 »

I did a little research into whether you can use trailer tires on a car and the answer seems to be universally no. Trailer tires are made with very stiff sidewalls which help keep the trailer from swaying, but on a car would not corner well and would ride harshly. Also, the tread pattern and rubber compound are different from car tires. Basically, a trailer tire is designed with one goal in mind, to help keep the trailer following in a straight line behind the tow vehicle.
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by 64vert »

the hankook 185/80 r13 tires are not trailer tires....most tire dealers can get them...
i have them on my 64, i had no problem finding them and have had no problems with them.
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by Scott H »

fjp912 wrote: Scott -- the 185/80's are listed as trailer tires. Can you use trailer tires on a car? I wonder if they are designed differently because trailer wheels don't steer and are never powered. If the 70's are good that is a possibility; I live about 25 miles from one of Tire Rack's distribution centers and I can go there and pick them up myself.
yup, I totally missed that. Not good, cant put trailer tires on a car. :td:
Scott
1960 Monza Coupe
1965 Evening Orchid Corsa Turbo (project)
1961 Rampside (project)
1964 Spyder coupe (patina car, running)
1964 faux Spyder (project/parts car)
1964 Monza (parts car)
1963 Monza (parts car)
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fjp912
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by fjp912 »

Lord, I must have been having a brain fart when I wrote the original post -- what I have on the car now is 175/80's, not 185. In any event, even though Hankook's corporate site doesn't list anything in 185/80, they are listed at Savannah Tire, a local chain known for good customer service but not necessarily the lowest prices. Although Tire Rack has some Sumitomo 185/70's which are a higher speed and load rating. All other things being equal, should I go for the 70 or 80 series? (as best as I can tell, 175/70's are really unobtanium)
FRANK PERCH
Philadelphia, PA
'64 Monza Coupe
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by MonzACT »

Here in Australia I could only get a set of Maxxis MA1 185/80 x 13 whitewalls for my 1964 Monza coupe from a specialist supplier in Melbourne. They seem quite good so far although I haven't pushed the car (still getting used to driving from the 'wrong' side ::-): ) - they're smooth and quiet-riding. Maxxis comes from Taiwan and I'd be amazed if they weren't available in the US.
Chris
Canberra, Australia
1964 Monza coupé
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by reidmier »

Just watch out for the old bait & switch. They tell you they have 185/80-13s in stock but when you show up to get them, they tell you they only have 175/70-13s but it won't make much difference. LOL. Your engine will be screaming along at 72-75 mph on the speedometer just to get up to 65 on the highway. Most online retailers will show the 185/80-13s as available but out of stock. Firestone no longer makes the FR380, so any you find are likely old stock.
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Re: tires for 13 inch stock wheels ('64 Monza)

Post by 4carbcorvair »

We install the FR380's at work on other cars. None of the guys at the shop are too fond of them. Can be a bit of a pain to seat the bead on them too.

Trailer tires, as you found out, are a no-no.

Find something close in a 13 or go with a larger wheel. I'm glad I went with 16's. :)
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